There's a Time for Everything
by Sharingangate375
Summary: This is the survival story of a young woman. Followed by the destruction of her town, she must head into the heart of the wasteland to find shelter, weapons, and hopefully the ones who killed the ones she cared about.
1. Chapter 1

War, war never changes… In 2077, the end of the Resource Wars brought hell to the world, burning and scarring anything in its wake. Nuclear missiles dropped all around the world, only leaving those in vaults unscathed. My grandparents were one of those lucky people. Because of them, I can live a healthy life. My people, on the other hand, aren't so lucky. The radiation poisoned their skin and burned their homes. I lead them to salvation in this town that we named "Heaven's Gate". Anyone can enter and food will be given to anyone who needs it. We're a strong community and no one has ever disturbed us. Up until a few days ago, that is. It seems a band of raiders has come together and started attacking nearby settlements. Everyone has been coming to me, asking me to protect our town. I know what to do if anyone ever tries to harm us.

"Miss Rivet, the raiders are getting closer each day. My family is getting really worried and we don't want to end up like Rivers and his town," Mike, a townsman warns.

"I know. They're starting to get even more ruthless. I've been planning a counter attack and if you have the weapons, meet with me tonight. I'm holding a town meeting," I reply. Mehail, a silver gecko I trained, always seems on edge these days. He's kind of like a warning siren, telling me when danger is near.

"Miss Rivet, the raiders are outside of the town. They're heading our way!" yells Mike.

"Dammit, I wasn't ready. Gather anyone who can fight. Those raiders won't set foot in my town." While getting up, I can see them. There's about a dozen of them, all covered in spots of blood and patches of armor. Their skin is mostly showing. I may not be the most intimidating, being only 5'9 and mostly skinny, but ever since I forged some armor for myself, I haven't felt as afraid of fighting. "Mehail, stay behind me."

The raiders are only a few feet from the town now. I can feel my stomach churning with worry for the townsfolk. They all have families and I don't want anyone to get hurt. The only thing I know to do is get to the front of the town and make sure no one dies. I pull out my lacerator, a serrated broad sword I forged long ago.

"Oh, so the leader finally shows her face," taunts a raider.

"You have one chance to leave this town," I bark back. "I don't tolerate raiders and I'm not going to show any mercy." The raiders just laughed at me. Unfortunately for them, I did train my people to fight. They're all master sharpshooters. It took years of practice, but they can hit anything if they have a rifle in hand. So, I raise my sword to the sky to signal their aim, and then I strike down. Gunfire echoed the canyon nearby and seven of the raiders fall into a bloody mess, most of them getting blown in half by the impact. The other three raiders are running at me now and I slice the first two as if they were butter. I could feel my blade tearing through muscle and bone. The last remaining raider jumped back and fell to the ground and is now begging for mercy.

"You decided to attack my town. My people! I'd be gracious if I killed you now and didn't feed you to my gecko," I yelled, letting myself be angry. "Luckily for you, however, you didn't hurt anyone in my town. Leave now and I won't have my people shoot you. Don't you ever come back, or I'll have you killed on sight." The raider just nodded in agreement and ran off.

"Miss Rivet, that was amazing," yells Harris, another townsman. "I never thought this would work so well."

"I had faith in our town, Harris. We're strong," I replied. As I turn around and look at the town, I notice something in the sky. Are those…planes? I notice fire coming from the flying deathtraps. Oh shit. "Everyone, get down!" A rain of fire pelts the town, destroying buildings, piercing flesh. All I can hear are screams. Mehail runs toward me and I can't help but to hold him close. A metal plank falls on us both. For a few moments, I just stay there, hoping the fire ends. After only a small bit of time, it stops. I poke my head out to see the plane flying in another direction. I stumble out of the only small crevice that the fallen chunk of metal allowed me. I helped Mihail out as well. As soon as I saw the town, I couldn't help but to feel sick. Blood and rubble filled the crater that was my town only moments ago. I walked up to it, feeling tears in my eyes. I never cried. I had seen worse in the wasteland, but never with people I cared for this much. I said a small prayer for the town and looked into the canyon ahead of me. I have no one now. I'm back at square one. Who did this? Why?! I have to find out, no matter what. Mehail and I walk into the canyon, not knowing what lies ahead.


	2. Chapter 2

There's a Time for Everything

Chapter 2: Into the Canyon

It's been a little over a week since I went out into the canyon. Almost no one has been seen that whole time and Mehail has passed out due to dehydration. I've been carrying him on my back for I don't even know how long. I've been hearing the buzz of Vertibirds overhead every hour, it seems. The Enclave has been busy doing god knows what. About a mile away, I spot several men in a camp. I feel butterflies in my stomach. My gut tells me to run far away, but given my situation, I can use any kind of food and water I can get. I walk up to the camp and almost instantly drop to my knees. Several men walk up to me, weapons in hand.

"Who are you and what is your business here?" a burly fellow asks. I look up at him out of respect.

"My name is Rivet, and my town was destroyed. I'm dehydrated and my partner, Mehail, passed out some time ago. I've just been hoping he isn't dead. Please, I ask for food and water." The man gives a friendly smile and starts to pick me up. I look at him back, grateful for his understanding. However, he puts a knife to my throat the moment I'm to my feet.

"So, you're so weak that you should be an easy kill, right?" He starts to slice my neck slowly. I can feel blood starting to drip down my neck. My instincts instantly kick in and I knee the man in the groin, making him drop me instantly. I pull out the lacerator and slice off his head in one quick motion. Five other men rush out, axes and hammers in hand. I got lucky that none of them had any guns. I tear through two of them with one slash, blood splattering on my face. One of the men slams his axe into my armor. The metal takes most of the blow, but I feel my left arm pop out of its socket. I scream in pain, but I continue my assault. With my left arm disabled, I can't put as much force into my swings. When my blade enters the remaining campers' flesh, I can feel it jaggedly cutting through their bodies, instead of my normal clean cuts. The men drop, screaming in pain, but I don't stop slashing until their screams stop. After the fight, I drop my sword to the ground and attempt to pop my arm back into place. It's painful, but I get it into place with not so much trouble. After that, I search around the camp and find a small amount of water. I run to Mehail and force some water down his throat. It takes him a moment, but he finally wakes up. I can't help myself, and I just give him a hug the moment I see his eyes open.

"Thank god you're alive!" I yell, trying to hold back my tears of joy. I let go of him and suddenly get the urge to look back at the camp. I study the bodies of the men I just killed and then touch my face. Never before have I had to kill someone that gruesomely. Tears start to run down my face. "I killed those men…All of them…" I start laughing, looking at the blood on my hands. "No, the bastards deserved it. They tried to kill me first. I can't trust anyone. All I can do is defend myself…And when I see the men who destroyed my village, I will massacre them."


	3. Chapter 3

There's a Time for Everything

Chapter 3: Hopelessness

It's strange. Out in the wasteland, time goes by so much slower. Looking down at my right hand, stained red from the raiders I killed, it's like it took five hours. Even combat used to feel faster when I had a home to come back to. Mehail looks as healthy as ever again, as if weeks have passed by. On the bright side, I'm almost out of this god forsaken canyon. The vertibirds have stopped humming overhead, at least for now.

"Halt!" Shouts a man standing at the exit of the canyon. "There were a group of men that set up camp in that canyon. Did you happen to see them?" I give the man a glare that I was sure would set him on fire.

"Yes, indeed I did," I replied, keeping a steady tone.

"Well, did they make it to the other side? Or are they still there?" I hesitate to tell him anything out of fear that they were his friends. You can never be too careful out here.

"What makes you think I know?"

"I just want to know, ma'am. I don't mean to be a bother. You see, I'm an information broker and need any information on events that happen near the town." I calm down a little at those words, but I don't know if I can trust him.

"Those men you speak of are dead. They caused trouble and it bit them in the ass."

"Did you watch this happen? Who was the person who killed them?" A small smirk appears on my face.

"Why, I did, sir. They threatened me when I was vulnerable and I had no choice but to slaughter them all." The man just stares at me for a moment and begins to move his glare down to my blood-stained hand. I don't think he expected me to be able to kill those men.

"Um...thank you, ma'am. I appreciate your honesty and it should help the town out in the future. Feel free to continue on your way." I bow my head slightly out of understanding and as I walk by the man, Mehail hisses at him. The man jumps at the sudden hostility and Mehail snickers quietly. He's always been the mischievous one. It doesn't take long for me to reach the town and upon entering it, all I can feel is the inhabitants' ill will striking me through their stares. I've always been looked down upon by the towns that obviously had more caps filling their pockets. They never gave us any food or water, even when their own stocks were well filled.

"Excuse me, ma'am, what is your business here?" asks what looks to be the mayor.

"I'm sorry to intrude on your town, sir, but I'm afraid I had to stop. I don't think me and my companion here would have been able to make it to the next settlement." The mayor gives Mehail a look of disgust.

"Why didn't you stop at the NCR outpost a few more miles from here? I'm sure they'd be happy to give you food and water." The man chuckles, obviously aware of the NCR's attitude toward outsiders. I just smiled politely at the man, despite his poor attitude toward me.

"I can see that I'm not wanted here. I suppose I should leave. I'm sure the merchants would be glad to know that you obviously have enough goods to last you a while." I've always been good at threatening other people and by the way this town runs, it's obvious that it relies on traveling merchants. That's the case with most of these rich towns.

"No, no, please stay." The man's demeanor has shifted into a more warm and welcoming tone at this point. The fool took my bait.

"If you insist, sir." I bow in respect and smile widely before I come back up. The mayor watches us as we enter the nearest hotel. At the counter, I slap down six caps and ring the bell. A lanky, poor looking man walks in.

"How may I help you, ma'am?" The man quietly asks. I look at him for a moment. This man is a slave and he must not eat much. I grab fourteen more caps out and politely put them with the initial six.

"I would like one room for a night, sir," I reply, satisfied with how many caps I put down. The man just looks down in shock and nods excitedly. He takes me and Mehail up to our room.

"If there's anything I can do for you, ma'am, please let me know." I nod and smile at him, happy that I could help someone in such a tough position. Once he leaves, I jump on the bed and lie my head down.

In the middle of the night, I hear a loud bang, followed by some yelling. I quickly get up and grab my blade. Mehail is already awake, apparently well aware of the loud noise. I slowly and quietly exit the room and look down the stairwell. The poor man is being held at gunpoint by what seems to be an NCR officer.

"Where's the woman?" the officer calmly says. "We have a warrant for her arrest." I look to Mehail and see that he's shaking. He must feel it too. The raw energy leaking from the officer. I silently walk back to my room and open the window. I let Mehail out first, then instantly follow. On the inside, I hear a loud bang. With Mehail at my side, I begin to run to the entrance of the town. Why do those men want me? I search my mind for a moment and think back to my encounter with the information broker. He must have ratted me out. But why would the NCR care? A bullet flying past my head snaps me back to reality.

"Mehail, incinerate!" Mehail steps forward and lets out a stream a fire from deep within him. The NCR soldier shooting at tries to put out the fire, but the bullets in his gun explode from the heat and kill him. A loud bang echoes through the night sky and Mehail drops to the ground, blood pouring from underneath him. I run over to him without hesitation and try to plug up his wound. He's still alive, but he won't last long if I run. "Hang in there, honey. I promise you'll be safe." Tears well up in my eyes and I hear footsteps approaching from the left. The NCR officer steps through the smoke from Mehail's fire. "You shot my only companion, you bastard!" I yell, my voice cracking a bit. I can no longer control myself and I let my tears run freely. The man points his pistol at my head.

"You'll be next if you don't do as I say," the officer says. "If you come with me, I might just be kind enough to save your little friend. After all, the package deal is much more valuable to us than just you alone." I give the man a look of pure disgust, but I look back down at Mehail and can see that he needs any help that he can get.

"Alright, I'll come. If you don't save him, though, I will not stop until every single one of you are dead." The man just nods his head and grabs my blade from me. Afterward, he grabs Mehail and we all head into a beat up jeep. What does this man want with me? Why are Mehail and I so valuable to the NCR? Hopefully it will be clear soon enough.


	4. Chapter 4

_There's A Time For Everything_

Chapter 4: It's All Over But the Crying

When I was a little girl, my parents used to say that Virginia was a beautiful place. While in vault 63, we expected to walk out and see clear skies, rebuild, and live as my parents did before I was born. We slept for over 150 years and when we woke and the vault doors were opened, everyone was lost overnight, as if taken in their sleep by some unseen force. I had to live without them for ten years. When we all finally ran into each other again, my Father was a part of the Enclave and my mother was a member of the Brotherhood of Steel. Although their organizations were sworn enemies, they disbanded and rekindled their love. They became a notorious duo known as the Nuclear Couple. They were able to keep me safe and all the while, they thwarted any advancements from the Brotherhood of Steel, Enclave, or even the New California Republic. That is, until they were caught in a firefight with Enclave forces and were gunned down by a vertiberd. I was twenty years old then. It's been four years and I feel like I haven't changed at all.

While sitting in a cell in an NCR base, I look down at the dog tags I've worn for so long. They are my parents'. This blasted organization stripped me of my armor and weapons until I agree to fight with them. They refuse to tell me of Mehail's condition and all I can do is sit here and reminisce. It turns out they came after me due to my connection to my parents and the supposed crimes they committed.

"Ma'am, the boss is here to see you," an NCR grunt says, holding the door open for his superior. I don't give the man the time of day and continue looking at those old dog tags.

"Miss Rivet, are you ready to accept our offer yet?" a very large man asks. He is most likely the same man that shot Mehail.

"I won't accept anything until you tell me how my companion is," I reply, a hint of disgust in my voice. The man sighs, obviously out of frustration.

"Please, ma'am, we've already gone over this. If you don't agree to this, then we will never tell you how he is." I look up at the man, pain and anger raging in my eyes.

"I'll make you a deal. If you tell me how he is, I will agree to your terms, regardless of the answer. Until then, I will not accept." The man nods in agreement and I let my nerves cool down for a moment.

"Your companion is in critical condition. We believe that he will die unless some miracle comes up." I look at the man, now with tears in my eyes. I look back down at those dog tags.

"He's all I have left…" I feel tears welling up in my eyes again, but I quickly push my feelings down. "Alright, I'll agree to your terms, as I promised." The man gives a sadistic smirk and opens up my cell.

"Very good. I will give you a weapon and a uniform. We set out in a few hours." He walks out of the room and I know I fell right into his trap. However, I had to know how Mehail's doing. Right as I start heading out of the jailing center, a woman appears before me bearing a sad expression.

"Miss Rivet?" The woman says, obviously sensing my sadness. I look up at her and nod, giving her the go ahead to continue. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but your companion just passed away. We couldn't save him." Upon hearing the news, I feel myself on the brink of a complete breakdown. I nod to the woman as calmly as possible.

"May I please say my goodbyes?" I ask, my voice stuttering in the process. The doctor nods and leads me to the medical center. I see Mehail, lifeless and pale, dead on an operating table. I rush over to his side and take a moment to let it sink in. In only a couple minutes, my emotions overwhelm me and I let the tears wash over me. I scream in agony at the pain of being alone once again. Mehail was all I had left. Without him, what the hell am I going to do?! I can't help but to think that everything I've done up to this point has been useless. On the radio station, the song Maybe begins to play, making me cry harder. I hold Mehail's body in my hands and just let myself mourn him until I can't anymore. What seems like a few hours gone, I finally step out of the room. The boss appears before me, smirking as he had before.

"I'm so sorry to hear about your companion, Miss Rivet," he says, still smirking. "However, we're going to leave soon, so get ready." I give him a look of sheer anger and disgust.

"You better watch your back, sir," I reply, gritting my teeth. "I told you that if you can't save him, I will slaughter you. Better keep a sharp eye on me." He attempts to put his hand on my shoulder as "comfort", but I shove him away as coldly as I can. Not only did I lose my friend, but now I have to work for this terrible organization. Maybe I'll get lucky and the boss will be killed on the field. Hopefully raiders get to him. I think of a few scenarios in my head for a second and chuckle at my own sadistic nature. As I enter my room, I see a hunting rifle and NCR uniform. I ignore the uniform, but pick up and load the rifle. Walking out, I notice everyone staring at me.

"Miss Rivet, why don't you put the uniform on before we go?" says a soldier. "It'll protect you more than your current apparel." I give the man a belittling smile.

"I'd rather go out naked than advertise you assholes."

The other soldiers just turn away. I assume they got that I didn't want to be bothered right now. In my head, all I can think about is how to avenge my fallen companion. The doors of the military compound open and this is the first time it hits me. The world is never going to change. Overhead I hear the roar of Enclave vertiberds and on the land ahead, I see dozens of corpses shot to pieces.

"What the fuck do you expect me to do here?!" I yell, feeling as powerless as I did the day my village went up in flames.

"You're here to turn the tides, little lady," the commander says. "I expect you to run out there and slaughter every man, woman, and child in our way." The man smirks so widely that it makes me want to vomit. I nod my head and walk toward the endless destruction. My eyes must be emotionless and I easily shoot through multiple targets. The armor is weak near the underarms and elbows. A few well-placed shots can take down a soldier in seconds, even with a pea shooter. I hear the vertiberds hovering overhead and I quickly run through the crowds of enemy soldiers, knowing that if they shoot, they'll do most of the heavy lifting for me. Although I expected different, the Enclave vertiberds start firing and take down most of the armored men for me. I spot a quad barrel missile launcher, quickly pick it up, and fire on the flying targets. The first one spins out of control and crashes into the one next to it and for the last one standing, I fire the remaining three missiles, causing the thing to erupt in fireworks. Standing in the middle of the battlefield, I drop the missile launcher and let the flames surround me. Through the fire, I look at the commander and smile as twisted as I possibly can. I will not die until I have the satisfaction of seeing the life drain from his body.


End file.
